College sports are dominant in Alabama, and the state saw success across major sports in 2025. It also saw high expectations not met, leading to coaching changes.
Here are the top sports stories 1819 News covered.
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama was among the top teams in baseball, basketball and football in 2025.
The Crimson Tide hoops team secured at least a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last five seasons in 2025, making it to the Elite Eight before eventually being taken out by Duke. The Tide are off to a promising start to open the 2025-2026 season.
After riding a program record 16-game winning streak to open the season, the Crimson Tide baseball team just barely missed out on a national top 16 seed in the NCAA Regionals, eventually falling to regional host Southern Miss.
The football team entered the 2025 season with high expectations in its second season under Kalen DeBoer, and an opening loss to Florida State prompted fans and media to question DeBoer's fit in Tuscaloosa. The hot seat questions were seemingly quelled as Alabama went on a tear and then popped back up after a loss at Oklahoma.
The Tide made the College Football Playoff, and DeBoer again silenced critics as he led the Tide to a 17-point come-from-behind victory at Oklahoma in the opening round while finding his way into the record books. The Crimson Tide will take on No. 1 seed Indiana on New Year's Day as they seek their first national championship in the post-Nick Saban era.
Speaking of Saban, the legendary football coach was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The retired coach turned ESPN analyst has been busy in the business world, buying two Montgomery car dealerships, Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach and a minority stake in the Nashville Predators. He also met with President Donald Trump at the University of Alabama to discuss fixing college athletics amid the NIL and transfer portal madness.
Auburn University
The Loveliest Village on the Plains came close to national championships in baseball and basketball to open the year, only to run into a buzzsaw in the second half of the year.
The Tigers' basketball program had yet another historic season under head coach Bruce Pearl, entering the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. Pearl, who was named AP Coach of the Year, led his squad to the Final Four, where they fell to the eventual national champs, the Florida Gators.
After offseason rumblings of Pearl entertaining a U.S. Senate bid, the outspoken head coach announced his retirement from coaching. He assumed an ambassadorial role in the athletic department as special assistant to the athletic director, while his son, Steven Pearl, advanced from associate head coach to head coach.
After a bit of a slow start, the baseball team got hot at the right time in 2025. The Tigers rode that success to the number four overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They advanced to host the Super Regionals, eventually losing to a hot Coastal Carolina team.
The football team was hit with bad news early in the year as head coach Hugh Freeze announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Tigers came into 2025 with high expectations and a loaded roster, only to see close loss after close loss lead to Freeze's firing.
A day after a close Iron Bowl loss, the Tigers announced the hiring of USF's Alex Golesh as the program's 33rd head coach.
UAB
The Blazers football program also saw a coaching change: Trent Dilfer was fired midseason after a 9-21 record over two and a half seasons in Birmingham. Interim head coach Alex Mortensen was later promoted to the program's eighth head coach.
A stabbing incident involving multiple players made national headlines. Just hours before a game, Blazers offensive lineman Daniel Mincey allegedly stabbed two of his teammates.
Birmingham Stallions
Alabama's professional football team's reign as the best United Football League team came to an end in 2025. After winning three straight championships to open the league, the Stallions' bid for four in a row fell short in the conference championship game.
Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron ended his bid for Alabama lieutenant governor to be named the Stallions' head coach.
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